Cholpon Sultanbekova

Sultanbekova was born on 19 August 1969 in Bishkek (then Frunze).^{[citation needed]} She attended the Michurinsky Pedagogical Institute in Russia and graduated in law and international relations from the Kyrgyz State Academy of Law in 2006.^[1][2]

Sultanbekova worked at the registry office in Jalal-Abad before becoming Director General of Palvan in Osh in 1995.^[1] She was President of the Congress of Women of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Southern Region from 2000 until 2001 and in 2005 she founded the NGO Eco-Harmony of Women.^[1][2]

Sultanbekova is a member of the Respublika Party of Kyrgyzstan. After her husband's assassination in 2005, she ran for his parliamentary seat representing the Kadamjay District in a 2006 by-election but was defeated.^[3][4]

Sultanbekova was elected as a member of the Jogorku Kenesh in 2010. She became a member of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sport^[1] and chair of the Committee of Youth Policy in 2012.^{[citation needed]} In October 2013, she was elected Deputy Speaker of the parliament.^[2] From 25 January 2015 until 22 January 2017, she was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.^[5]

On 9 November 2016, the parliament approved her nomination as Deputy Prime Minister for social affairs under Prime Minister Sooronbay Jeenbekov, replacing Gulmira Kudaiberdieva.^[6][7][8]